After Hurricane Ian’s brief stay, Craven County returns to normal, business as usual

Before Hurricane Ian made its second U.S. landfall in South Carolina on Friday morning, the famous “spaghetti map” used by meteorologists to track the storm’s path wasn’t sure where Ian would move next after hitting North Carolina.

By Saturday morning, Craven County residents had answers.

The “calm after the storm” cliché is what defines the look and feel of the weather as Ian’s remnants clear off Friday night, giving residents a perfect start to the weekend, just like fall.

While Ian was insignificant compared to New Bern’s past storms, it did call for emergency responders to act and served as a strong reminder of what the hurricane could bring to eastern North Carolina.

New Bern Fire and Rescue services were called out at around 12.30pm after a crew member was trapped. Fire and rescue crews used a boat launcher located in Union Point Park near the Comfort Suites hotel as two team members battled the elements of Hurricane Ian to reach the stranded boaters.

After arriving at the joint point, the boatman appeared to be shaking, but he did not appear to be injured.

“Basically someone was trying to get through the storm on their boat,” said New Bern Fire Chief Robert Boyd. “It went off the hook and hit the bridge and we’re going to bring him back now.”

It is believed the boat came from a local marina when it drifted into the marshes of Lawson Creek Park. The U.S. Coast Guard is expected to recover the ship.